Congressional Democratic leadership warned President Donald Trump on Tuesday that they would use upcoming government funding talks as leverage to fight the administration’s changes in U.S. government agencies.
Democrats’ warnings come as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, moved the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the control of the U.S. State Department earlier this week. The administration has said they are reviewing USAID’s foreign assistance activities to “ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda.”
“Whatever DOGE is doing, it’s not democracy,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday. “We know what democracy looks like. It’s out in the open. It’s not secret.”
Democrats could push back on some of the most recent changes in the U.S. government by withholding votes on a new spending bill. A short-term continuing resolution keeping the government running is set to expire on March 14.
On Monday, congressional Democrats protested outside closed USAID offices, saying the Trump administration had overreached its authority.
“If you want to change an agency, introduce a bill and pass a law,” Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said. “You cannot wave away an agency that you don’t like or that you disagree with by executive order, or by literally storming into the building and taking over the servers. That is not how the American system of government works.”
USAID manages tens of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign assistance programs.
“The Constitution requires that the funding be spent by the president and the administration,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday. “The Constitution requires the president has a responsibility to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. Spending agreements passed through the appropriations process are law, and when those laws are violated, the Constitution is being violated, which is why there has been a flurry of righteous litigation that has been unleashed.”
Congressional Republicans have expressed support for attempts to weed out fraud and abuse in the U.S. aid system.
“I don’t think they’re closing an agency, but I do think they have the right to review funding and how those decisions are made and what priorities are being funded,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday. “I think that’s probably true of any administration. When they come in, there are lots of programs authorized and funded through that agency, some which I think are operating the way in which they were intended, some which aren’t.”
The White House criticized USAID-funded projects supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and other efforts it argues are a waste of taxpayer funds.
“If there’s massive fraud, if the funds aren’t being directed to where the Congress has appropriated and the president has signed, then we need to know about that,” Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services chairman, told American news networks CNN and CBS Monday.
“I have felt for a long time that USAID is our way to combat the Belt and Road Initiative, which is China’s effort to really gain influence around the world, including Africa and South America and the Western Hemisphere,” Wicker continued. “So we need an aid program to match the Chinese effort, but it needs to be done in a way that the policymakers of the United States have decided ought to be done.”
Schumer said Tuesday he’s supportive of efforts to eliminate fraud and abuse but criticized the speed and secrecy of the process.
